We'll Be Alright
by smc-27
Summary: They've been through too much, together and apart, for him not to stay with her. There's no doubt anymore that he loves her. Post-3x12 Nate/Serena oneshot.


**A/N:** So, I believe this is what they call a drabble? It's just a wee piece post-3x12, because 3x12 was amazing and I am annoyed that the hiatus is as long as it is. So I'm making up stories to fill the time. Fun! (Pssst: Reviews are fun, too.)

**----**

She wakes up in a haze with a headache and a dry mouth. When she tries to push the hair back off her face, she notices the plastic pulse monitor on her finger and the identification bracelet on her wrist. It all comes back to her. The cottage. Tripp's lies. Their fight, and how angry she was. And the accident. And her calling out for him only to find that he'd left her there. He'd just left her there. Not exactly the actions of a guy who says he loves you. And to think, she was actually worried about him.

She rolls over to check the time on the clock on the wall, and her heart pounds in her chest (and that stupid monitor is beeping away) when she sees Nate sitting there, the_ Times_ in his hands and a Starbucks cup on the table next to him.

He looks over at her when he hears the monitor start beeping a little quicker (he's been listening to it for hours, so he notices the change). And he's so damn _relieved_ that she's okay. There's a bump on her head and she looks exhausted, emotionally and physically, but she's okay. If there was ever any doubt that he loves her, it was all erased when he saw her in that ambulance last night and when he found himself with tears in his eyes (he won't tell anybody that part), trying to think about what he'd ever do if he lost her.

Because it's one thing for her to leave him for someone else. It's another thing entirely for her to...to..._die_. (God, it hurts him to even _think_ it.)

"Hi," he says quietly. He somehow manages to smile, though he hates seeing her laying like this.

"Hi." It's kind of a dreamy whisper, and she wants to berate herself for it, but he stayed with her. She can remember now, waking up in the middle of the night and seeing him sleeping upright in that chair.

She knows in her heart that no one else in the world treats her like Nate does. He keeps proving it, over and over again. She thinks she might finally be ready to realize all that the way she should have all along.

She clears her throat and he gets up, reaches for the cup of water at her bedside, and she shifts so she's sitting up a little bit. She takes a drink from the straw as he pulls his chair closer. She eyes his coffee cup and he laughs softly.

"You want this, don't you?" he asks. She bites her lip and scrunches her nose just a little bit as she nods, and he hands over the paper cup.

It's pretty much a given that he'll do anything to make her happy.

She realizes she's actually _nervous_. It's _crazy_. It's just Nate.

But it's Nate who...who loves her or something. Who stayed with her.

"How are you feeling?" he asks, smiling a little when she takes a sip of his coffee.

"Where did you get this?" she asks, her brow furrowed.

He smiles bashfully and bows his head. "One of the nurses brought it for me."

She laughs, but it makes her head hurt. "Of course," she says.

"What?" he asks innocently. "She woke me up and brought me..." His voice trails when he realizes that Serena is implying that the nurse was flirting with him, and he knows she's right. "And you didn't answer my question."

"What?"

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I hit my head off a dashboard and got totally screwed over by your cousin?" she says, trying not to sound bitter, though she knows she's failed. His face changes, and he looks seriously mad, and when he opens and closes his fist a couple times, she notices his knuckles are swollen. "Nate." He shrugs one shoulder because he knows that she knows. "You...you punched him?"

"He didn't even...He just _left_ you there, Serena!" he tells her. "That's...He's not the person I thought he was, if he could just do that."

"That makes two of us," she says quietly.

He doesn't know exactly where it comes from, because he really shouldn't have this kind of courage, not after her walking away from him twice (or three or four or five or however many times), but he reaches over and takes her free hand in his. Unlike last time, she doesn't pull it away.

He has to try really hard not to smile all big when the heart monitor beeps a little faster again. "I'm sorry," he says, though he knows he doesn't really have anything to apologize for.

"Me too," she whispers. She smiles at him, because his hair's a complete mess, and his shirt is all wrinkled, and he just is_ the cutest thing_ for staying with her. And she decides to tell him so. "You stayed."

"Hmm?" He doesn't look at her, since he doesn't know what she's going to say about all this. He just runs his thumb over her knuckles until her other hand comes to rest on his.

"You _stayed_," she repeats.

"Well, yeah. It was just...everyone else was going and...I guess I didn't want you to wake up alone," he admits quietly. "It's no big deal."

"Yes it is," she's quick to insist. Their eyes lock and he has to smile at her. He can't help it. "I'm glad you're here, Nate."

"Me too."

She's about to say something, what, she isn't sure, and the doctor comes in to perform a quick exam. He asks Nate to wait in the hall, but Serena insists it's okay if he's in the room, and Nate smiles at her and crosses his arms and waits. The doctor checks her breathing and her vitals and she asks if she can be disconnected from the monitor, and Nate winks at her from where he stands, then tries not to laugh when it beeps a little faster again. The doctor smiles at the both of them and Serena tries not to blush. She's told she can leave in a few hours, that they just want to observe her to be very sure there are no lingering affects from her hitting her head.

Before he leaves, the doctor switches off the heart monitor and Serena shoots him a grateful smile. He's barely out the door when Nate starts laughing.

"Stop it!" she cries, though she's laughing too. He sits down at her bedside again and she turns on her side so she's looking at him. "It was giving me away."

She says it like a secret, like she used to do when they were little and she'd tell him she snuck some candies from the pantry. She'd close her little fist around his and drop Skittles or Hershey Kisses in his palm. Now there aren't any candies when she reaches for his hand, but he loves it just as much.

And it's his heart racing now, because he doesn't know what she just admitted, but she just admitted something. Her body reacts to him, that much is clear, but he wonders about the rest of her. Sure, she's holding his hand and being all sweet and adorable, but does that mean anything? She knows how he feels, but he has no idea how she feels.

"Can I get you anything?"

She shakes her head quickly. "No. No, just...don't go anywhere, okay?" she asks.

He nods and squeezes her hand. "Okay."

Since he didn't really get a chance to talk to Tripp (even the encounter they had was too much, if you ask Nate), so she tells him everything. How he's been right all along and she should have listened. How Tripp said that he loved her, but obviously didn't really mean it, and that maybe she needed something as awful as this to happen so that she'd realize it. She can tell he doesn't necessarily love hearing stories about she and Tripp's week of being locked up in the cottage together, so she keeps it to a minimum, tells him only the important things, other things she now believes are lies. And when she asks him to get her purse for her, she pulls out a dime bag and they both laugh when she says she just wanted to hang onto it, just in case.

"In case what?" he asks laughingly.

"In case I needed a peace offering when I apologize," she says quietly.

"You don't have to..."

"Yes, I do," she insists. She loves that he knows all the bad things she's done and he still sees her like this; that he still thinks she doesn't have to apologize for anything. "I just...keep doing these things. These...stupid things, and...You've been kind of amazing to me. Too amazing, and..."

"Serena."

"Since that night in the bar, I thought...I dunno. I guess I thought that maybe you were just...We had that really good day together, and I didn't know if you meant it."

"I meant it," he says. It looks like she's got tears in her pretty eyes, and he smiles at her. "Know that. Okay?"

She nods and smiles at him, and it takes every ounce of self restraint he has not to reach out and tuck that loose lock of hair behind her ear. "And then Thanksgiving." He looks to the floor. She can't even imagine what it must have felt like for him to be standing there, pouring his heart out, and for her to have walked away. "I'm sorry I left."

"Serena..."

"And not just because I wouldn't be laying here if I'd stayed," she jokes. He laughs softly, but it's not really funny. "Do you forgive me?"

"Of course I do," he says quietly, and she's thankful that there's nothing monitoring her heart rate anymore, because she's remembering that night in the bar and his words and his face and that he almost kissed her.

"Good," she says as she yawns.

"Why don't you get some rest? I'll check and see when I can take you home," he suggests, and she closes her eyes and a content little sound leaves her lips.

He can't help himself. As he stands, he leans down and presses a kiss to the apple of her cheek, and she squeezes his hand a little and smiles.

His throat almost gets tight when he realizes that whatever this is, they're on their way to something. Something big, probably, and something that's been a long time coming.

She watches him leave and she feels happier than she's felt in a while, because what he's just said sounds like just about the most prefect thing in the world. Him taking her home. And she thinks she misses the way his hand was holding hers. And she knows she loves that he kissed her cheek like that.

He almost feels bad for being as happy as he is. He's still angry, probably will be for a while, but there's a part of him that's thankful that this horrible incident seems to be bringing he and Serena closer together. And he thinks that when she feels better, the two of them should definitely head up to the roof of the Empire and roll a joint. He hasn't done it in ages and he assumes it's safe to say she hasn't either. He kind of loves the idea of it. But then, he loves the idea of just about anything that has to do with her.

The nurse has Serena's release papers all done up and ready to sign, and when she asks if Nate is Serena's boyfriend, he clears his throat and says no, not really, but she doesn't look like she believes him. He's not sure he believes him either, but he's getting way ahead of himself. Since he's the one she'll be leaving with, he's got to sign the release form, saying he's responsible for her getting home safely or something. There's basically no worry about that, because he's going to watch her like a hawk. He'll do everything in his power to make sure nothing happens to her. Ever, if he has any say in the matter.

He calls Lily, and she sounds upset. When he asks her if she's alright, she calls him a _sweet boy_ (she always used to call him that; it makes him smile that she still does) and tells him that it was just a hard day yesterday, and he understands completely. Your only daughter getting into a car accident on the same day your husband was killed in a car accident pretty much oozes emotional disaster.

When she tells him that things at home are tense and she doesn't want Serena to have to worry about that, Nate says he understands again, but he doesn't, really. He's not sure why things are tense, or why Lily's even telling him so. But she suggests that maybe Serena can stay with he and _Charles_ at the Empire, or maybe the _boys_ can take shifts in Serena's room in the hotel to keep an eye on her.

Nate says he'll talk to Serena and work something out, for Lily not to worry, and that he'll let her know what's going on. She thanks him and calls him Nathaniel, and he shakes his head as he hangs up, because Lily is a crazy woman and always has been, but she's kind of falling into a life of placidity, and it suits her, he thinks.

Serena is laying on her side, reading one of the magazines Blair left, when he comes back into the room. She should be sleeping or something, but he knows better than to mention it, because she's not exactly exerting herself or anything.

"Two choices," he announces. She closes the magazine and smiles at him. He's getting used to seeing that smile. "One, you come stay with Chuck and I. Two, you go to your suite but either Chuck or I stays with you."

"Ugh," she says, pulling a face. "Stay with you guys and listen to Chuck and Blair and...No thank you. I don't even know how you handle that."

"I live on the other side of the place, and there's a couple cement walls between us," he says with a laugh. She still doesn't look convinced. "Alright, then I'll stay with you."

"Nate," she laughs, "you can't just stay with me."

"Why not?" She's already out of excuses, and she hasn't even used one. He raises his brow and she rolls her eyes. "Get dressed. We're getting you out of here."

She smiles and swings her legs over the side of the bed, but when she stands she sways a little on her feet. He's at her side instantly, his arm around her waist to steady her.

"I'm fine," she says before he can ask. "Just got up too fast." He doesn't move, keeps his hands on her, and she turns to face him. "I can get dressed without your help."

He almost blushes. He definitely wishes she needed his help. He lets her go and she reaches for the sweatpants and hoodie her mother brought for her. She actually laughs when she sees that the sweatshirt is from St. Jude's (it must be Erik's) and the pants are ones she probably hasn't worn in two years. But they're comfortable, and when she emerges from the bathroom with the cozy clothes on and her hair in a ponytail, Nate has already gathered the rest of her things and is waiting for her.

She honestly doesn't know what she did to deserve him.

The drive back to the city is quiet, and about halfway there, she slips her hand into his, moves closer, and rests her head on his shoulder. She hears him let out a breath, and he kisses her hair. She falls asleep like that, and he doesn't dare move. When Dan calls, Nate talks quietly and ignores his friend's comment about going to bat for the girl you love.

Apparently Nate isn't nearly as discreet as he thinks he is, because everyone seems to know about his feelings.

Chuck's waiting outside when they pull up to the Empire, and he takes Serena's bag (it's unheard of for him to really carry anything, but there are a few women in his life he'll make the exception for) and they take the private elevator to avoid a crowd and noise.

Once they're in her suite, she parks herself on the sofa and claims that she's starving, and as she's ordering from room service, she hears Nate telling Chuck that he's going to stay with her for a few days. And she hears Chuck's sly, "Of course you are. I'll have the help stay away."

She notices Nate's ears go red and he rubs the back of his neck as he closes the door behind Chuck.

They spend their night eating mains and desserts and watching bad TV. She sits right up next to him on the sofa, and he drapes his arm around her. At one point, when he has to go upstairs to his place to get a change of clothes and his school books, she tells him that she doesn't need a babysitter. But she does it in such a way that lets him know that she doesn't really _want_ him to leave.

She curls up on the sofa with a blanket over her and waits for him to come back. She almost laughs. She's waiting for him this time when all the other times, it's been him waiting for her. The difference is, he's not making her wait too long. But she still has no idea what she wants from him when he returns.

But she does want him. She knows that.

She thinks she's wanted him all along, probably, and that she just never let herself think about it because it would have hurt Blair or Dan or Vanessa or_ some_one. But now there's none of that in the way. Everyone else is happy enough without Nate and Serena. They're both single.

This is their chance. It hits her in full force and she smiles as she closes her eyes, letting the weight of that sink in.

He walks in and tucks the key she's given him safely in his pocket like it belongs there (and maybe it does). He sets his things by the door and when he walks back over to the sitting area, she's fast asleep on the couch. He takes a minute just to watch her (as if he hasn't done enough of that in the last few days). It's still early, but he can't just leave her on the couch like that, so he hooks his arm under her knee and the other behind her back. He lifts her up, kind of loving the feel of her in his arms, and carries her to the bedroom, and she stirs awake when he lays her down.

"Nate," she says on a sigh. Her eyes flutter open and he kneels next to the bed.

"Hi," he whispers. "Get some sleep. I'll be here."

He kisses her cheek and stands, but before he can walk away again, she reaches out and bats his hand. He laughs a little and looks down at her, all cute in her sweatshirt and blankets, a sleepy grin on her lips.

"Will you lay in here with me?" she asks.

He doesn't say anything, just pulls off his sweater and climbs into bed with her. And when she curls up next to him, her head on his chest and his arms tight around her, she says a quiet thank you. And when he tells her she has nothing to thank him for, he isn't lying at all.

**_-Fin-_**


End file.
